ST. LOUIS COUNTY - St. Louis County Police cornered a murder suspect, Timothy Brown, at 3:50 p.m. on Tuesday, December 28, 2020, in the 7100 block of Edison Avenue in Velda City, Mo. Brown was wanted in the Christmas Day shooting deaths of Charese Gavin, 28, and her daughter, Alayah Butler, 23 months old, in Spanish Lake, Mo.
After a long standoff, Brown shot and killed himself. Brown had been charged with two counts of first-degree murder but had not been taken into custody prior to his self-inflicted suicide in Velda City, Mo.
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Investigators contacted a female occupant of the home and came under gunfire, which is believed to have been attributable to the suspect.
The officers retreated from the residence, bringing the female occupant with them. Containment was set up on the residence and additional St. Louis County Police Department resources were requested to assist.
Shortly thereafter, the Tactical Operations Unit and the Special Response Unit began attempts to negotiate a peaceful resolution to the incident. After hours of attempted contact by phone and loudspeaker, technology was deployed into the residence. It revealed an adult male deceased in the home from an apparent gunshot wound to the head. There were no other occupants of the home.
A person inside the home where the murders occurred on Christmas Day said she saw Brown shoot and kill both victims in the case. Witnesses also told police they saw Brown's car in the driveway of Gavin's home at the time of the shooting.
